Now consumers can tap to add mobile coupons to Apple’s Passbook.
Kevin Woodward , Senior Editor
Consumers using Valpak Direct Marketing Systems Inc.’s iPhone app now can add mobile coupons to Passbook, Apple Inc.’s take on the mobile wallet.
Passbook enables a consumer to store her loyalty cards, movie and event tickets, coupons, and promotions in a centralized location on her iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The app senses time and location—through the device’s GPS technology—and automatically displays a ticket or an offer when and where the consumer needs it. It also can be used by retailers to deliver location-based offers when consumers allow location tracking.
The Valpak app presents local coupons available within a 25-mile radius of the smartphone. Consumers using the Valpak Savings app select a coupon by tapping on it. Then, after tapping a sharing icon on the coupon, the consumer can elect to save it to Passbook. The Passbook app opens so the consumer can confirm the addition of the coupon. The coupons come from more than 54,000 businesses that offer coupons via Valpak, the company reports.
To redeem the coupon, the consumer opens Passbook at the checkout counter and selects the coupon, which can display a bar code to scan or an alphanumeric code for the sales clerk to input.
“Valpak’s goal is to provide savings to our consumers anywhere at any time in the most convenient way possible,” a Valpak spokeswoman says. “Adding a Passbook feature provides our consumers another way to interact with those savings in a very convenient manner.”
Valpak delivers blue envelopes stuffed with paper coupons to 42 million households, the company says. It also offers digital coupons at Valpak.com, which attracted 577,000 unique visitors in August, according to web measurement firm Compete.
Passbook is part of iOS 6, the operating system used on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices.